March 16, 2022 4.30 pm This story is over 24 months old

After 13 years on the run, ‘Running Man’ violent robber arrested in Lincolnshire

The officer described it as tense but exciting
By Local Democracy Reporter

A 42-year-old man’s 13-year spell on the run from police was brought to an end earlier this year, and his arrest was captured on camera by an officer’s body camera.

Ambrose Nicholas O’Neill, first got into trouble with the law on February 10, 2007, when he made threats to kill a 67-year-old male antiques dealer in Seagrave, Leicestershire.

He knocked on the victim’s door posing as a pizza delivery man, pushed him over and punched him in the face before demanding the victim open his safe — but he left with no money.

After being arrested, O’Neill attended the first day of his trial at Leicester Crown Court in July 2018, but didn’t show up for the remainder of the case.

Little did police know that this would be the beginning of a manhunt lasting over a decade.

He earned the nickname ‘The Running Man’ from the national media as he continually evaded capture from police.

Despite his absence, O’Neill was sentenced to eight years in prison in December 2008, but did not serve any of that time right up until his eventual arrest in January 2022.

He was found after an anonymous tip-off from a member of the public, that O’Neill may have been living with a woman in the Wyberton area, near Boston.

Nottinghamshire Police officers burst into his hideout and arrested him, which was all captured on video thanks to the body cam of PC James Gill.

“The media portrayed him as someone who was laughing at cops,” recalled PC Gill. “As soon as we saw those reports, he became our number one priority.”

“We arrived at work at 2am in the morning and all sat around the briefing table. There were maps and detailed explanations of what was expected from each individual, because absolutely nobody wanted this to go wrong. It was a tense atmosphere but really exciting nonetheless.”

Upon arresting him it was clear that O’Neill had changed his appearance in the time he spent on the run, growing hair and putting on weight.

O’Neill was brought back into court where he admitted a charge of failure to attend court, and the judge jailed him for an extra eight months, which will be served consecutively with his eight year sentence from 2008.